Review of The Round Bistro in Gastonia

Published: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 10:46 PM.

One of the things you’ll hear from a certain school of culinary snobbery is that there really isn’t a true American cuisine, that all we do is take food from other countries and throw cheese and bacon on it.

The fallacies inherent in that thinking are too numerous to count. Try to figure out how many classics of European cuisine wouldn’t exist without foreign ingredients or influences and you’ll grow old long before you finish.

Instead of arguing, though, I’ll just let Jack Acheson, executive chef of The Round Bistro, at 2609 S. New Hope Road, in the Bi-Lo center in Johnny B’s former location, and his menu do my talking for me. Right here in Gastonia, we have one of the most ringing endorsements for the variety and wonder of American cuisine I’ve ever encountered.

Let’s start with the appetizer: Smoked salmon mousse rounds with a red onion marmalade topped with chives. This will blow your mind on several levels. The salty, smoky tang of the salmon is mellowed by a bit of cheese, and the sweetness of the onion marmalade is unbelievable. Jack makes it in-house, and I’m planning to sneak into his kitchen someday soon.

Soup? How about she-crab soup, a classic of the Northeast and lower Carolina coast. Or maybe you’ll go with the roasted corn bisque? Either way, you’ll make your face happy. The she-crab soup took me back to my childhood in Philadelphia, when my father and I would eat at the world-famous Bookbinder’s, scooping bites from our bowls while watching Mafia dons greet favor-seekers and friends at the back tables.

House salads are usually a throw-away item, constructed to give veggie lovers their fix without filling anyone up so much that they won’t order something else. The Round Salad, with fresh greens, red onion, crumbled blue cheese, candied pecans and radishes generously drizzled with cherry vinaigrette, could easily be a lunch by itself. This was my first taste of a dressing like this, and it will not be my last.

My entrée was Chef Jack’s peppercorn pork tenderloin, select cuts of that most-tender part of the pig rubbed with good black pepper and seared perfectly. The meat, with a stack of mashed potatoes that still had the tiny chunks in them from being handmade, nestled in a pool of pan gravy that made me wish for a crust of bread to sop it all up. The second side was an ear of fried corn on the cob liberally dusted with Chef Jack’s “Magic Dust,” a house-made spice blend that needs to find a spot on grocery store shelves someday.

One of the things you’ll hear from a certain school of culinary snobbery is that there really isn’t a true American cuisine, that all we do is take food from other countries and throw cheese and bacon on it.

The fallacies inherent in that thinking are too numerous to count. Try to figure out how many classics of European cuisine wouldn’t exist without foreign ingredients or influences and you’ll grow old long before you finish.

Instead of arguing, though, I’ll just let Jack Acheson, executive chef of The Round Bistro, at 2609 S. New Hope Road, in the Bi-Lo center in Johnny B’s former location, and his menu do my talking for me. Right here in Gastonia, we have one of the most ringing endorsements for the variety and wonder of American cuisine I’ve ever encountered.

Let’s start with the appetizer: Smoked salmon mousse rounds with a red onion marmalade topped with chives. This will blow your mind on several levels. The salty, smoky tang of the salmon is mellowed by a bit of cheese, and the sweetness of the onion marmalade is unbelievable. Jack makes it in-house, and I’m planning to sneak into his kitchen someday soon.

Soup? How about she-crab soup, a classic of the Northeast and lower Carolina coast. Or maybe you’ll go with the roasted corn bisque? Either way, you’ll make your face happy. The she-crab soup took me back to my childhood in Philadelphia, when my father and I would eat at the world-famous Bookbinder’s, scooping bites from our bowls while watching Mafia dons greet favor-seekers and friends at the back tables.

House salads are usually a throw-away item, constructed to give veggie lovers their fix without filling anyone up so much that they won’t order something else. The Round Salad, with fresh greens, red onion, crumbled blue cheese, candied pecans and radishes generously drizzled with cherry vinaigrette, could easily be a lunch by itself. This was my first taste of a dressing like this, and it will not be my last.

My entrée was Chef Jack’s peppercorn pork tenderloin, select cuts of that most-tender part of the pig rubbed with good black pepper and seared perfectly. The meat, with a stack of mashed potatoes that still had the tiny chunks in them from being handmade, nestled in a pool of pan gravy that made me wish for a crust of bread to sop it all up. The second side was an ear of fried corn on the cob liberally dusted with Chef Jack’s “Magic Dust,” a house-made spice blend that needs to find a spot on grocery store shelves someday.

For a lighter entrée, go for the Asian tuna, grilled with an orange glaze made from fresh-squeezed juice. It’s diet food that doesn’t taste that way.

But before I run out of room, we have to talk about dessert. I have, my friends, eaten the BeerNanas, and found them good: Ripe bananas, rolled in a beer batter, deep-fried, dusted with powdered sugar and served with a Crème Anglaise that pushes them that extra step from outstanding to decadent.

The dessert du jour, fried strawberry shortcake, was no slouch either. The shortcake received a treatment similar to the BeerNanas, and was served with a drizzle of chocolate, fresh whipped cream and a dollop of ice cream. Great stuff.

And whatever you’d like to drink along with your meal, the Round Bar can supply it. There’s a great selection of local beers on draft, a comprehensive wine list and a staff of bartenders who can mix even the most exotic cocktail. I had a White Russian coffee with my dessert that was dead solid perfect.

Whether you want a special family dinner, a romantic night out or you really want to impress out-of-town guests, Round Bistro is a great pick.